Korea (Region)
| Universe = Earth-616 | Galaxy = Milky Way | StarSystem = Sol | Planet = Earth | Continent = Asia | Region = | Locale = | Population = | First = Battle Vol 1 1 | HistoryText = Overview Korea is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. Korea is currently currently divided into North Korea and South Korea. Ancient history Cyttorak of the Octessence tricked an order of monks into building his temple for the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak in an area that, in modern day, belongs to Korea. A certain spell was to ensure that, once one of the totems had been touched, other humans would be drawn to the other seven locations, starting the Octessence. Each Exemplar would lead one eighth of Earth‘s population into battle, until only one of them remained. Temple of Cyttorak survived for centuries and during his travels, the Ancient One happened to reach the temple and curiously ventured inside. Knowing of the ruby’s enchantment, he had no intention of touching he Gem of Cyttorak. He only wanted to observe and learn. Still, his presence alerted Xorak, the temple’s guardian. At some point in history, Cyttorak had been banished from Earth but created this being to safeguard his temple and destroy everyone who entered. He was no match for the Ancient One, though, who magically banished Xorak to the Crimson Cosmos within the gem. In another century, a group of heretic monks tried to harness Cyttorak's power for themselves, but they failed and, instead, only called forth the most destructive aspect of this being of immense power. Sadly for the rebel monks, this entity murdered them all and the nearby villagers, and the threat would have continued to spread if not for two magicians. Despite being rivals, Gomurr the Impetuous and Tar the Initiate of the Ebon Vein worked together and were successful in forcing the entity into his own totem, the magical Gem of Cyttorak. Thus, it now had a dual nature: it served as a prison for Cyttorak, but likewise it would transform a human into his Exemplar. Neither one of the rival magicians trusted the other enough to guard the ruby, fearing they might succumb to the lure of phenomenal power, so they placed the Gem of Cyttorak once more in the temple and sealed its entrance under a mountain of rocks. Korean War Following the end of World War II, Korea was divided into two during negotiations of Allied Forces after the war. The Korean War was sparked when conflict began between the Republic of Korea (aka South Korea) and the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (aka North Korea). The conflict saw North Korea supported by Communist China, while the South was supported by the United Nations and the United States in particular. The conflict saw many notable American soldiers serving in the area, such as Hank "Combat" Kelly, Cookie Novak, Kent Blake of G-2 Military Intelligence, Battle Brady, Sgt. Socko Swenski, Combat Casey and Penny Pennington. High ranking American officials active during the war included Major Thorn, Captain Rocke, Captain Stone, Sargent Pulaski as well as Naval officers Battleship Burk and Salty Smith. Chinese operatives who were active at the time included female gorilla fighters Yalu River Rosie, Manchuria Mary, General Olga, Kaesong Katie, Red Mary, Bloody Mary, Muktong Mollie, Hangnam Hannah and the Snake Lady of Sinyong. Notable events in 1950 included the liberation of of the town of Pudong, which included Combat Casey and Penny Pennington in the Summer of 1950; Battleship Burk's clash with Hangnam Hannah along Hangnam Habor, and subsequent battles along the shores of Inchon in December of that year. In the capital city of Seoul, Battleship Burk and Salty Smith also stopped Red Mary's plot to attack the city. In 1951, Private Adam Brashear, USMC, demonstrated courage under fire in Korea by rescuing Sgt Conner Sims, USMC, from the scene of combat. When questioned as to why he disobeyed direct orders to do so, he would only respond, "Nemo resideo" - Leave No Man Behind, the Marine Corps' unofficial motto. It was the start of a friendship that would define the lives of both men. In 1952 included Kent Blake was involved in many operations that effected the tide of the war. On the top of Doom Mountain, Blake prevented the Chinese army from utilizing a nuclear weapon on American troops. He also assisted American forces in securing the town of Kuwong, and stopped enemy supply lines from passing through the town of Samchon. Kent Blake later traveled into the northern town of Kanggye in 1953 to recover a list of companies that were providing weapons to the Chinese army. Along the Imjin River, Chinese forces used specially built subs that could operate in rivers to try and attack American bases, this plot was foiled by Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak. During this time Korea was visited by the Xian god named Shang-Ti who attacked Chinese forces before the astonished eyes of Battle Brady and Socko Swenski. Later the town of Longwa was liberated by American forces including Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak. While Combat Casey and Penny Pennington liberated the town of Hanyan likewise did Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak liberate the town of Mukyong. In late 1953, after the armistice, the brainwashed Toro was used to fight UN forces in the region until he was freed from North Korean control by the Human Torch. As the war came to a close Combat Casey and Penny Pennington destroyed guerilla supply ships along the Imjin River. As official combat ended, guerilla elements were still active in the region and many of the soldiers fighting there continued to stop insurgents from acts of sabotage. The 1950s Captain America and Bucky also clashed with guerilla fighters during this time, and the Human Torch and Toro returned to the region and helped free American prisoners of war. Modern Era * Events that took place in North Korea * Events that took place in South Korea | PointsOfInterest = * Pyongyang * Seoul * Temple of Cyttorak | Residents = | Notes = states that both Charles Xavier and Cain Marko fought in the US Armed Forces in the Korean War. The story was originally published in 1965. However as Earth-616 operates on a Sliding time Scale this should be considered a topical reference. Current Marvel Handbooks generalize the incident as a "conflict in an eastern nation". | Trivia = | Links = * Korea at Wikipedia }}